Butterfly Kitsune
by Yuko Curenoire
Summary: Naruto has witnessed the murder, GASP! I dun usually do summaries so... read and find out!
1. Prologue

1.Prologue

**A/N :** Okies, this is my first serious SasuNaru fic, please be gentle, I'm not very used to all this.

**D**isclaimer: No... Naruto Charries do not belong to me... at all... they belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sama. –sigh- Gawd I wish they were mine...

**P**airings: SasuNaru of course! KakaIru, SasuSaku (I know! I know! I'm sorry!!), slight ItaNaru and I dunno the others quite yet.

**W**arnings: it's yaoi! Dun like, please dun read! Language and um... upsetting Naru-chan to a level where I might hit myself silly with a ten foot pole. (It stands for all chapters).

Onwards to the prologue then!

-PROLOGUE-

"Sasuke? Hey Sasuke!"

A blond child walked inside the Uchiha Manor, calling for his friend. The house was strangely dark and quiet, sending an eerie feeling down his spine. He held a bottle in front of his eyes and looked at the butterfly trapped inside.

"Come on Sasuke! I found a butterfly, it's awesome!"

He climbed up the stairs and went through all the doors until the last one. A shuffle was heard behind the door as he stepped towards it. Opening the door a few inches, he peeked inside before entering.

"Sasuke, it's not funny anymore, please come out," he whined, looking around the dark room, "the floor is wet..."

A hoarse whisper came from the wall next to the door and the boy named Sasuke slowly got out from the shadows.

"Na-naru-naruto.. .get-get away..."

"Don't be so rude niichan. Why don't you give our little friend some... cocoa," said a voice in the back.

"Itachi-niisan, what's going on...?"

He grabbed the cup from Itachi's hands and started drinking it before realising that cocoa wasn't salty and cocoa wasn't that thick!

"Do you like the cocoa mommy made especially for me, Naruto-kun?"

He moved away from the window he was hiding and Naruto saw what Sasuke had seen. Blood tainted the walls and the floor, the bodies of their parents laying on the floor, opened.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the now empty mansion as Naruto felt the bottle and the cup leave his hands. Tears filled his blue eyes when realisation sunk in on him.

Itachi kneeled in front of him and tilted his head forward. Blue locked on the spinning red of the Sharingan and cold lips silenced the other. "Why did you do this niisan?! I believed in you..." He screwed his eyes shut and pushed Itachi, running away with Sasuke who was frozen with surprise. He ran for barely 5 minutes before Itachi appeared in front of him, his godforsaken good looks frozen in a cold mask of calmness.

"Why are you running away from me, Sunshine?"

"Don't call me like that anymore!"

"Tell me... are you scared of me," he asked as the Mangekyou sharingan whirled in his eyes.

"..."

"Look at me in the eyes and tell me if you're scared, if you hate me..."

Naruto looked reluctantly in Itachi's eyes and immediately fell in trance, along with Sasuke. Both of them were in a different place, witnessing the murder with different point of views. Sasuke saw Itachi killing everyone while Naruto saw everything from inside Itachi's body. He was the one wielding the katana and plunging it in Sasuke's family. He was the one feeling the hot blood gushing on his clothes and face. The strange thing was that he was enjoying it with a savage pleasure, bringing him to the brink of insanity.

The illusion faded away and Naruto fell limply on the floor, shaking uncontrollably. Sasuke, too, had fallen but was still conscious enough to understand the last words his brother said before disappearing.

"Hate me Sasuke, hate me night and day and get stronger. Then come after me and kill me...(see A/N of the end)"

Sasuke just watched helplessly before moving next to his blond frightened friend.

"Naruto? Do you feel good? Are you okay?"

"Sasuke..."

He slowly sat up and looked at Sasuke with empty eyes full of sadness. Slowly inching closer and closer, he whispered:

"I'm very sorry," before kissing him softly.

It lasted less than three seconds and Naruto pulled away before falling in Sasuke's arms, unconscious. A frail little black and white butterfly floated next to Sasuke's arm before landing on his awaiting finger. Bringing it to eye level he said:

"Why... are you sorry?..."

**A/N:** Okay, first of all, I dunno what exactly does Itachi tell Sasuke. Sorry for any grammar errors pr anything like that. English is not my mother language!

I hopies you likeyz this chappie, and I appreciate constructive critique. I'm still a newb when it comes to writing ficcies.

**Read, you dun have to review if you dun feel like it!**


	2. Forgotten

2. Ch.1 Forgotten

**P**airings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, SasuSaku and slight ItaNaru

**A/N**: Chapter one is finally up! FINALLY!!!!!!!!! Gomen for the long time it took…

**W**arning: This is yaoi! Don't like, don't read, language and upsetting Naru-chan (stands for all chapters). Oh! Some OOC-ness too…

**D**isclaimer: Nope… me no ownies them… not just yet… *laughs evilly* hum…

ON WITH TEH CHAPPIE!

**-FORGOTTEN-**

The soft ticking sound of the clock floated in the air, relaxing a frightened boy. His crystal blue eyes were full of tears and unfocused while his breathing slowly evened. "What the hell…"he thought, looking around his dark room. The same nightmare kept plaguing over and over again since he was 6 years old, but this time, something had been different: he heard a name being called… called by _his_ desperate, childish voice.

Sighing, he passed his hand through his hair and looked towards the clock; it read 3:53am. He would be waking up in two hours or so, he could get up now. But next thing he knew, dream world was crawling back to him, filled with the ghosts of his past.

Knocks on the door were what woke him up again. Slowly getting up from the warm covers, he went to get the door before it considered breaking.

"What?"

Emerald eyes widened. "Naruto…?!"

"Who're you?!"

"…WHY AREN'T YOU READY YET?"

"ITTAI! SAKURA WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!"

"The teacher told me to come and get you…"

Naruto's eyes widened and he ran in his apartment, arms flailing around wildly. "OMG! WHAT TIME IS IT? ARGH! SHIET, SHIET SHIET!!!" Throwing random clothes on, he ran out, locked the door and ran past Sakura who watched him go, several sweat drops on the back of her head.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late! I kind of overslept…"

Naruto was running towards the bridge where his second partner and his sensei were, Sakura close behind. Looking up from the orange book he was reading, the jonin instructor said:

"So there's my third student… you're late…"

Sakura threw him a stern look. "You were late too, Hatake-san…" before looking at their second teammate in adoration.

Sighing at the kunoichi's behavior, Hatake Kakashi turned back to his now arrived student.

"So you must be Naruto Uzumaki, right?"

"Yup! Who're you?"

"I'm Kakashi Hatake and I hate you! Nobody can be later than I am…"

"O…kay? Who's he?" Naruto asked, pointing the brooding boy.

"Naruto, it's rude to point and that's Sasuke Uchiha."

"Hi Sasuke!"

Sasuke winced and looked at his teammate fro a while before turning away… and turning back wide-eyed (not much, Uchihas have no facial expressions whatsoever except blank, angry and bored).

'This cannot be…'he thought. Controlling, with utter-Uchihaness, his whirlwind of emotions, Sasuke asked:

"What's your name…?"

"Naruto Uzumaki!" the answer was given with a dazzling vulpine grin that made Sasuke want to smile at the memory that came drifting from a closed part of him.

-10 years earlier-

Sasuke had just run away from home, yet once again. The young raven only wanted to play! Not stay home and brood all day. Besides, it was his birthday… Looking around, he slowly walked towards the nearest park that seemed fun enough to lighten his mood.

Just as he was about to run and play with someone, he heard something. Listening closer, he decided it sounded like a crying child. He promptly walked towards the sound and discovered a little blonde who didn't seem to hear him. Sitting in front of the kid, Sasuke hesitantly brought up a hand and started petting its blond hair.

Jumping, the child revealed cerulean orbs that immediately locked on Sasuke's charcoal black ones. A hoarse whisper crossed the boy's quivering lips.

"What do you want?"

"Why were you crying?"

Quickly drying his eyes, the boy got up and looked away. "…Nothing…"

"You can't cry for nothing you know… if you don't want to tell though, its fine, but what's your name?"

"…N-Naruto…"

"Cool! I'm Sasuke!"

"Say… Sasuke, you're not scared of me? You don't hate me?"

"No, why would I?"

"… Nothing either…"

"Ok then… say, Naruto, do you want to be my friend?"

"Really?!" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the Uchiha's request. Never in his life had he had ANY friend! Offering a huge vulpine grin to his very first friend, he tackled him as a thanks, saying:

"Sure I want to!"

-Back to the present-

That had been the best afternoon Sasuke had ever spent out of the house. And even if he had been scolded when he got back home, his new friend had been the best birthday gift ever! If only he hadn't been that scared of going at Sasuke's place…

Walking to their first training (spending two to three days alone in the wild and extremely leafy forest), the three shinobis let their minds wander. Sakura was plotting to make Sasuke hers, Naruto was wondering if he was missing something because there was a feeling nagging him he had forgotten something important and Sasuke wondered where Naruto had been for all the years he wasn't happily insulting him.

Kakashi, on the other side, was reading his little orange book and blabbering, under his breath about a certain dolphin, a certain scar and… let's not go any further shall we… Finally coming to a halt in a small clearing, the perverted sempai closed his book and looked at each of his students; big blue eyes were looking at him eagerly, green eyes were traveling from Sasuke to Kakashi and dark eyes looked around, seemingly filled with utmost boredom, but if one looked closer, one could see a flicker of interest.

Clearing his throat to catch the children's attention, Kakashi started explaining why they were going to sleep in the wilderness.

"You are to stay here for the next three days. It is to test your capacities as a ninja to get used to any environment and survive in the wild.

"I will have to survive without ramen! WITHOUT RAMEN?!"

Sasuke smirked: some things never changed…

"Yes, Naruto, without ramen."

"ARE YOU STARK RAVING MAD?!"

To deprive Naruto of ramen is a no-no hence the argument between him and Kakashi. Sakura just rolled her eyes, sighing, before walking towards Sasuke for another session of "let's annoy Sasuke with useless blabbering".

Meanwhile, just as the argument was reaching its peak, Kakashi smiled and said: "Gotta go!" disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto puffed his cheeks in irritation and crossed his arms, turning away from the spot the jounin had been mere seconds ago. This familiar gesture made a small smile bloom on Sasuke's lips. Sakura, mistaking it for interest in what she was talking about, started talking even more while inner-Sakura waved: "Victory!" banners.

Naruto's stomach growled, reminding him he hadn't eaten anything yet. Looking over to his teammates, he said:

"Hey, I'm going to look for food, I'm hungry…"

"Hn." Was the Uchiha's intelligent reply while Sakura didn't pay attention, too engrossed in the thoughts of Sasuke having some sort of interest in her.

Several minutes later, they had put the tents up and Naruto wasn't' back from his trip in the woods. Groaning in exasperation, Sasuke turned to Sakura.

"I'm going to look for the Dobe, he probably got lost…"

"Be careful!"

"Hn."

He jumped in the leafy under bushes and concentrated to find the blonde's chakra signature.

Naruto was walking around with a rabbit and some fish, trying to find his way back to the camp. Unfortunately, he got lost… Sighing for the third time, he told himself:

"I'm walking in circles, IN CIRCLES DANG IT! Why can't I find my damn way?!"

"Because you're dumb, Dobe…"

For a split second, Naruto stopped breathing before recognizing the voice.

"Sasuke! Glad you're here! Now we can get back to the camp!"

Naruto ran to Sasuke, trademark grin firmly in place, waiting for diresctions.

"Naruto… where were you for the past ten years?"

"Home and pretty much everywhere, why?"

"Why didn't you… how come you didn't… why haven't you visited me, even once?"

"What are you talking about; I don't even know where you live!"

"Don't you?!"

Sasuke was loosing his composure. Naruto looked at him, question marks floating over his head.

"…Sasuke…"

He winced when he grabbed his arm and squeezed it, eyes spinning red with the Sharingan. Flash-backing on his dream, Naruto tugged reflexively on his arm.

"You were my first friend… I trusted you and never forgot you… What made YOU forget?! Maybe I wasn't so important was I?!"

"Sasuke, let go! There are a lot of things I don't remember, ok?! There are a lot of things I wish I remembered but I just can't! It's blocked from my mind and I can't do anything about it!"

Tears were now escaping both boys' eyes, traveling the same path, ending at the same spot. Unable to put his thoughts in words, Sasuke brutally pulled him forward and kissed him on the lips. It ended as abruptly as it started.

"What did you do…? Why did you do this?!"

"That's the last thing you did to me… don't you remember at all?"

"No… there's only pain and blood in my memories… Blood and pain, pain and blood… you… but I can't remember, I don't remember. I just… I… forgot you…"

**A/N:** HUZZA!!!!!!!!! FINALLY FINISHED CHAPTER ONE! ZOMG! ZOMG! YAAAAAAAAAAY! *chibi-chibis wave victory banner*

**Read, dun have to review if you dun feel like it.**


	3. Search

3. Ch.2 Search

**P**airings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, SasuSaku and slight ItaNaru

**A/N**: Aaaaaaaand… I'm back! I know it's been eons, I should sue myself… Gomen ne!!! Watashi wa namaketa! .

**W**arning: This is a yaoi fangirl's story. If you don't like what I am, that's your problem but don't read and blame me afterwards!

**D**isclaimer: I have troubles reaching Kishimoto-sama for Naruto ownership 3

Well then, everything has been made clear, I PRESENT JOO CHAPTER 2!

**-SEARCH-**

Sasuke looked at Naruto, stunned, his last words ringing mockingly in the depths of his mind. This was too much…. Too much to bare. Itachi… this was all Itachi's fault! He had succeeded in taking everything from Sasuke…. This time, oh, this time it was war!

Naruto saw the sharingan flicker in and out of sight as Sasuke trembled in fury. Scared, he whispered softly:

"S-Sasuke?"

The dark teen closed his eyes and relaxed his tense body. "Hn."

"I-I'm sorry…" the blond lowered his eyes, staring at his feet.

After a few agonizing minutes of silence, the Uchiha sighed. "Don't worry. None of this is your fault."

Naruto stared, uncertain, then grinned ever so suddenly. "So, are we going back to the camp or what?"

Sasuke chuckled. "If only you knew…" Shaking his head, he walked back towards their camping site.

--

Sakura was tapping her foot impatiently, hands on her hips as the boys finally came back.

"What the hell, Naruto?! Just what took you so long?! Are you living up to your hair colour or something?!"

Sasuke glared at her but Naruto, being oblivious, sweet and shocked as he was, paid no heed to her insults and handed over the food.

"At least you got food." She murmured grumpily.

"Yeah…" he replied, lost in thoughts.

For the whole while, silence was broken by Sakura's weak tries at conversation that were either acknowledged by a "Hn." or a "mutter-mutter-ttebayo…" She finally gave up and they all went to bed early though no one slept.

The moon had raised high in the sky as Naruto crept out of his tent. He peeked in Sakura's pink one and found her sleeping, snuggling a Sasuke plushie. Sighing in relief, he walked to the stream ha had found and sat on a rock by it, staring unseeingly at the black depths of its water. Slowly, black water turned to black eyes and he sighed warily. "Sasuke…"

A tear splashed his palm and he stared at it. "It's only salty water," he thought, "why does it bring so much pain?" He never heard the approaching footsteps.

What Sasuke stumbled upon was forever etched in his mind: Naruto's usual windswept-styled hair glowed white gold under the moonlight, his eyes, usually two depths of happiness, shone a sapphire blue that rivalled every gem ever made and around his frame, an aura of white pureness conferred a mystical air to him.

All in all he looked just like…

"…an angel," the Uchiha whispered.

Luckily, Naruto sighed at the same time, covering Sasuke's remark. "A very sad angel…" he thought, observing his teammate.

"Why…"

For a moment, Sasuke thought he was being spoken to, but then, looking at the kitsune, he saw his gaze was glued to the moon, shining up there in all her glory.

"Why the hell does this happen to me? Why do I forget who I care for? Why does it hurt… to know I hurt Sasuke…?"

He looked back down at his hands and started singing an odd lullaby; it was a strange mix between purrs, mewls and humming. Sasuke, who was about to turn back, stopped dead in tracks, hypnotized by Naruto's song. He felt compelled to it. It made him want to do things. Things he would never usually do. Things that were clearly against Uchiha rules.

A few minutes later, Naruto got up silently, preparing to leave. Sasuke, realizing he would be found out if he didn't move, disappeared. The blond stood where he had a moment later, smiling.

--

Morning… gawd Sasuke hated mornings! A ray was currently glaring intently on his eyelid, disturbing his rather peaceful slumber. Groaning in discontent, he turned away and opened his eyes to the sweet smelling thing tickling his nose. A flock of blond hair was discovered and he looked down to Naruto's peaceful face. When asleep, the kid sure was cute.

Without thinking much, Sasuke cupped a whiskered cheek, slowly rubbing his thumb on the baby soft skin. Naruto sighed contently and instinctively leaned into the caress purring softly. An eye opened lazily and the soft touch disappeared instantly. Disappointed, he thought it only a dream and closed his eyes.

Moments passed by and the caress was there again, warm and comforting. He purred and leaned in once again, opening half-lidded eyes to meet Sasuke's whose hand moved to go away.

"Don't," the blond muttered, grinning sleepily, "I like it."

Puzzled, the Uchiha stared and with one last lingering stroke, got out of the tent, simultaneously forgetting Sakura was there… and putting on a shirt.

"SASUKE-KUN! YOU'RE SO HAAAAWT!!!"

The sudden squeal made him wince and the hair at the back of his neck stood up. "Hn." Was his pained reply.

Naruto came out as well, clothed, holding Sasuke's shirt in his hand.

"Teme, you forgot your shirt."

"Hn."

"If that's a thanks, I'm not buying it." He said, carefully putting the shirt out of the other's grasp.

"Dobe…" he growled threateningly.

A vein throbbed on both of their temples as they stared at each other, planning murder.

"EEEEEEEK!"

They winced in unison as Sakura clung to Sasuke's arm, blushing prettily.

"Fine then, if you don't give me my shirt, I'll just spend the day topless."

Naruto sweat dropped and Sakura fainted. They paid no attention. Sasuke smiled smugly, arms crossed in assumed victory.

"Then… I'll do it too!" the blond took off his own shirt and tossed it in their tent along with Sasuke's, crossing his arms defiantly.

Sasuke paid no attention to the vessel's fuming expression, too busy was he on taking in the full extent of Naruto's bodyliciousness. His tan skin shone gold in the sun and his abs were just chocolate… hot, melty chocolate… with whipped cream and a cherry on top… and—woah! Too far! Too far! His eyes traveled back to his face which blushed because he'd been caught staring.

Sasuke was heaven… pale flawless skin stretched across abs carved in marble… where skin was as creamy as ice cream looked… cold, drippy ice cream… with fudge and a strawberry on top… and maybe a nip or two… and—oh la la! Too far! Too far!

"Um… I think I better put my shirt on."

He scrambled in the tent and buried his face in a random shirt. Why was he blushing like a schoolgirl? This was just…! Hey, this shirt smelled good! He closed his eyes and breathed deep. Aaah… what a wonderful perfume! It was definitely heaven on a shirt… which he realised belonged to a certain raven haired Uchiha standing just outside the tent's thin fabric!

Holding the shirt away, he pulled one of his own and put it on before going back outside to give Sasuke his.

"… Thanks."

"Welcome." He answered, absent-mindedly. "… Wait! Did you just thank me?!"

"Hn."

It was then that Sakura woke up again. She eagerly looked up at Sasuke and frowned in disappointment. Suddenly, Kakashi appeared out of the blue and greeted them in his usual fashion. Sasuke stared and asked:

"What are you doing here? Weren't we supposed to be alone for three days?"

"My, Sasuke, that is the longest sentence I have ever heard you say", he said, staring in mock-amazement. "And yes, I know, but we got a mission!" His visible eye curved upwards.

Naruto was the only one to look excited.

"OMG, really?! Alright!"

… and he was off to 'blabber-blabber-ttebayo' land.

"If you would please shut up, Naruto, I would be able to tell you what the mission is."

He shut up, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"It's a pretty hard mission but you're all old enough now. We have to eliminate a group of renegade demons in the snow village."

Naruto grinned confidently and said: "Piece o' cake!"

"Actually Naruto, it's not that easy. Kyuubi might not be able to help you."

"Eh?!" he looked at his teacher, confused, just like his teammates. "Why not?!"

"The demons might be related to his past."

_Demons from your past?_

_**Mmh… This mission might turn out interesting. Mind if I use your body sometimes?**_

_I dunno._

"Kakashi-sensei? Will Kyuubi be able, well allowed to use my body?"

The silver haired jonin's head snapped up and he slapped his book shut, frowning deeply. "Why so?"

"Well, he asked! And he won't tell me why!"

"…"

Kakashi turned away, deep in thought. Sakura, slightly worried at the thought of a defenceless Naruto… well, nearly defenceless Naruto, went over to him and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Sasuke, seeing that, frowned slightly while some part of him snarled in jealousy. But it calmed out when it was to him that Naruto came when they started walking towards their destination.

"Hey, hey Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Will you help me train? Well, so I learn how to fight better without the Kyuubi?"

"… sure."

Grinning happily, he ran back to Kakashi for the modifications to make on his seal. He never saw the smile that tilted Sasuke's lips upwards for a second.

Several days later, they made it to the Snow Village. A white blanket covered the land as if to warm it with its coldness. Naruto's eyes sparkled as he caught a snowflake, smiling broadly. Yet again, Sasuke smiled inwardly at the innocence that Naruto emanated. The kid didn't know just how cute he was.

"Bet you feel at home here, Teme, it's as cold as you are!" Naruto teased.

Sasuke pretended to scowl, actually fighting down the urge to smile lovingly at his Dobe. The kid really didn't know how god darn cute he was.

"Hn."

"Hey!" Kakashi called up ahead. "Hurry up you two!"

They nodded and jogged to catch up.

--

Moonless sky. Soft blue snow. Sparkly stars. Pearly glow.

Naruto sang to himself in the room, awake again. The words all referred to what he saw outside. Well, except the last one. That one concerned a certain sleeping teammate on the bed where they both laid.

Sasuke's face, bathed in moonlight, shone softly. His hair looked as soft as silk and his skin, as soft as a baby's.

Hesitantly, Naruto let his hand hover over Sasuke's head. It finally sunk in the midnight hair and he sighed, relishing the soft, silk-like feeling it provided. He massaged the scalp, flipping the hair this way or the other, then he climbed down the bed to rest his forearms on the edge of it: it was much better to observe a sleeping Sasuke!

His right hand, which was still in the soft strands, came down to the face, fingers drawing random shapes across the creamy skin.

"Don't you cry my little one," Naruto started. "Nothing's gonna bring you harm…"

The lullaby he had once heard sung to demon like him, easily flowed out of his mouth. He had asked the girl to sing it over and over until it was practically carved in his memory. He was so far off in his mind, he never realised Sasuke had awakened and listened to the sweet melody. Even when the song was over, he kept stroking Sasuke's cheek lightly, still lost in memories.

Sasuke thought again that Naruto looked like a fallen angel. So sad to have lost his wings but so happy because he had found what did not exist in the heavens. One of his rare smiles stretched his lips. He closed his eyes and relaxed in Naruto's touch.

When the vessel came back to the present, he automatically looked at Sasuke. He sighed and, smiling his own small smile, he whispered: "I like it when you smile Sasuke." He got back on the bed and stared at Sasuke for a while. Sighing again, he turned away and closed his eyes.

--

An intense burst of chakra woke everyone up.

"What's going on?!" Sakura asked, drawing a kunai.

"The demons have shown themselves." Kakashi answered, uncovering his sharingan.

All but Naruto were preparing to battle. To him the chakra was familiar. I was calling to both he and Kyuubi.

"Naruto?" the kunoichi asked.

He turned violet eyes to the girl, who started.

"K-Kakashi?!" she called, worried.

The jonin immediately turned towards her, then towards Naruto. Cursing under his breath, he went to touch the boy but a fierce snarl stopped him.

"Do not touch him with your filthy hands, shinobi!"

A woman with dark red hair and glaring green eyes dropped in front of him.

"K-Kushina?!" Kakashi whispered in disbelief.

The red-head glared more viciously. "What's it to you?!"

"But…" he spluttered, unbalanced. "You're dead…"

Sasuke and Sakura watched from the sidelines, unsure of what to do.

"Shi-shi…" a low rumble in Naruto's chest. "Shi-shi, look at me."

She did so almost instantly, not even fazed by the violet eyes. "NaKyuu, I missed you!"

Opening his arms for her, he stared, a playful smile on his lips. "Come."

As soon as they were in a tight embrace, wind randomly came along, whipping everyone's clothes around. By the time they all blinked, Naruto and Kushina were gone.

--

**A/N:** HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! A cliff-hanger!!!!!!! And no the following chapter won't be coming so very soon. I currently have no internet (I'm at school right now) and loads of homework so, as you probably already noticed (and as you probably hate me for) update will be slower then ever. I do need a beta though… anyone up for it?

**Read, you dun have to review if you dun feel like it. But I do like reviews.**


	4. How many secrets?

4. Ch.3 How many secrets?

**P**airings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, SasuSaku and slight ItaNaru

**A/N: ***looks around furtively* Am I about to get killed yet? No? Good. *gets out of hiding place* Hi there! I'm back with a new chapter! Are you happy? No? Okay. *prostrates self on ground* FORGIVE MEH!!!! .

**W**arning: Yaoi, yaoi, yaoi. That's basically the only thing going on in my head so.

–shrugs- anyway. There will, eventually, be some cussing.

**D**isclaimer: I do realise that Naruto is not a thing to be owned but I want it!!! . It still isn't mine though. I tried asking it for Christmas but I guess Santa's too lazy.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!!! *hugs* you made me happy! ^^ To chapter 3 I guess!

**-HOW MANY SECRETS?-**

After Naruto and Kushina's disappearance, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura all stood there, staring dumbfounded at the spot they'd previously been standing on. Where had they disappeared off to?! Why was Kushina still alive?! Silence floated in the air, creating an odd sense of wrongness. Re-covering his sharingan, Kakashi bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood and summoned Pakkun.

"Hey Kakashi! Wha—?"

"No time," the jonin cut, solemn. "Go to Tsunade, now. There's a problem; Naruto maybe taken over, or at least merged, with Kyuubi and he just disappeared to an unknown location with… Kushina."

The ninja dog started. "K-Kushina?! As in Uzumaki Kushina? His mother?"

A nod confirmed his questions.

"Okay. Anything else?"

"No, not now."

With a parting nod, he disappeared. There was another moment of silence.

"What just happened…?" Sakura breathed out.

Sasuke stared at Kakashi expectantly.

"Well…" scratching the back of his head, the grey haired jonin got up. "To make things simple, Naruto merged with Kyuubi and got kidnapped by his mother who's supposed to be dead."

"…"

The blond's teammates were speechless. Sakura couldn't figure out what to do and Sasuke was glaring a hole in the snow at his feet. His jaw was tense, clenching and unclenching as his eyes slowly bled red. He was on the verge of unleashing the sharingan but held back.

"What do we do now?"

If he hadn't seen the pale lips move, Kakashi would've sworn he heard the old murderous Gaara speak.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?!" A chidori sparked to life in Sasuke's hand and his eyes were glaring sharingan daggers through the jonin's skull. "You're saying you want us to _stay_ here doing _nothing_ when our teammate just got _kidnapped_?!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "That's not what I'm saying, Sasuke, and you know it."

Another burst of chakra reminded everyone of their purpose. Cursing under his breath, the disgruntled Uchiha located the source of disturbance and took off, leaving the others behind. Looking at each other, Kakashi and Sakura shrugged, following his lead.

Three demons in human form greeted them. They were unusually tall and intensely attractive. Sakura found herself blushing by just looking at them. The one on the left side had black hair, blues eyes and looked like Naruto's complete opposite, the one on the right had green-ish hair, red eyes and looked bored out of his mind. The one in the middle, the one who looked like the leader, smiled. He had white hair and green, mirthless eyes.

"We thought we felt a familiar chakra over there but it suddenly disappeared. Did you see anyone?" he asked.

"Nope! Not at all!"

His hypnotic green eyes swiveled away from Kakashi to lock on Sakura who had squeaked in panic.

"Oh really?" He extended a hand towards her, his smile seductive.

Grabbing his wrist, Sasuke glared. "Back. Off."

The poor kunoichi glanced between them, split. Part of Inner-Sakura was thrilled that Sasuke was protecting her! The other part protested and yelled: "Let the hot guy touch me, damn it!"

"Please." The demon pulled his hand out of the vice-like grip and rubbed the bruising skin. "I mean no harm. My name is Kuremi and these are my brothers," he pointed the one to the left. "This is Oturan, the bored one is Ari."

"Well then, I'm Hatake Kakashi and these are my teammates, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke."

Oturan's eyes narrowed. "You have an _Uchiha_ with you?!"

"Got a problem with that?!" Sasuke glared right back.

They gave each other the evil eye until Ari hissed, eyes flashing gold. Immediately, Oturan became impassive. To anger Ari was always a bad idea.

"Now then, I guess you know our friend Kyuubi?" Kuremi said, throwing warning glances to his brothers.

"What makes you think so?" Kakashi frowned.

"It's her." Ari jerked his chin towards Sakura. "The Kyuubi likes her so much she's protected by his chakra. If a demon tries touching her, I'm pretty sure it'll lash out and hurt whoever's trying."

Kushina, again, dropped out of nowhere before Sasuke could get jealous.

"You three, NaKyuu wants to speak to you," she told the brothers. "You three," she said, turning to the remainder of Team 7, "follow me."

She led them back inside and went in a room two doors away from theirs.

"Come on in." She nodded them forward.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the room twisted and blurred creating an entirely different place. When everything stopped moving, Sasuke glared.

"Where are we?"

Sending him a disgusted look, Kushina unbound her hair which flew freely in a cascade of fiery red in her back. "NaKyuu still wants you to be safe. Especially her."

"D-did he tell you that?"

"No, it's the chakra on you."

With that, she left. They stared at the door, silent.

"So," Sakura glanced between her teammates. "What do we do now?"

**-Hokage Tower-**

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Tsunade received a message. Just before they'd entered the room, Sakura, ever careful, had sent a messenger bird. Pushing her bottle of saké away, she reached for the bird that turned in a blossom scented scroll.

'_Tsunade-sama,_

_this is Sakura. Kakashi already sent Pakkun to explain the situation, but this_

_is to inform you that we might not be in Snow anymore. I can't explain_

_much, wait for Pakkun._

_Blossom'_

"Interesting…" she muttered. "Shizune!"

The dark haired woman appeared almost instantly, Tonton trailing behind. "Y-yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Wait here for Pakkun, I'm out for a drink."

"T-Tsunade!"

The buxom blonde ignored her and walked out, waking goodbye behind her. Shizune watched her, a few sweat drops at the back of her head. At her feet, Tonton oinked curiously.

Tsunade walked along the busy streets of Konoha, smiling and nodding at the people who bowed in her wake. She needed somewhere to think. And drink too. Oh yeah! There was that place where she went to concentrate on that Lee kid's problem. Walking to the concerned shop, she sat down and ordered a bottle of saké.

If Kakashi had sent Pakkun, things could not be going well.

**-Back to Team 7-**

Kushina had locked the door behind her and put some sort of shield that kept Team 7 from leaving.

"Great." Sasuke growled. "Just great."

"Sasuke-kun, stop pacing liked caged animal."

He glared at the pink haired girl. "Hn."

"Be god damn intelligible every once in a while!"

Kakashi looked up from his book. Sakura getting mad at Sasuke?! Oh, this was bound to be interesting.

"Why would I comply with _your_ requests?! You're just a girl!"

Sakura's jade eyes narrowed and she grabbed Sasuke by his collar. "Do you _want_ to try me Uchiha?" she hissed threateningly.

"Sure," he hissed right back, "go on."

A blow to his stomach cut off his breath supplies. With a flick of her wrist, she flipped her pink hair over her shoulder and stared at him coldly.

"Don't underestimate me because I'm a girl, Sasuke. I can cause more damage than you can know."

Sasuke was too busy trying to catch his breath and death glaring the floor to give some sort of protest. _This is what Naruto suffered everyday, _he thought incredulously, _how did he survive?! _Kakashi's gaze swerved between them, filled with undisguised curiosity. This was an interesting change of behavior.

"You, Haruno Sakura, come with me."

Kushina had just appeared in the doorway and motioned to Sakura to come over. She did, glancing over at Kakashi as she left. The oldest female had her hair up in an elegant bun on the top of her head and a bathing robe on.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked.

Glancing over to the young girl, Kushina smiled. "To the baths. I'm pretty sure it's hard to get decently washed with those boys constantly around."

Too surprised to form an intelligible sentence, the pinkette nodded, smiling shyly.

"You can change in there." The red head said, pointing a door to their left. "I'll be waiting for you in the baths just here."

With a nod and a smile, they parted. Sakura entered a vast room filled with the sweet scent of plum blossoms. A few locker-like cubicles were lined against the golden-yellow walls and there was a towel and a washcloth on the bench not too far.

Clutching her hand to her breast, the kunoichi briefly considered running away… but that would be so impolite! And Kushina—it was Kushina, right?—had been so nice to her! It seemed wrong to leave her now. Changing out of her clothes, she joined the pretty red head. Just before she got out though, she heard two voices discussing rapidly.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" That was Kushina.

"Of course! It's prefect. She's perfect." That voice was unknown.

"But—!"

"Do not question me, Kushina."

A sigh and then nothing. After a few more seconds, Sakura came in the fogged up room. Kushina, who was staring forlornly at a black rose-shaped scar on the inside of her wrist, looked up, startled, at Sakura's approach.

"Oh! Sakura-chan! Come in, come in! The water is good!"

Taking hesitant steps towards the hot spring, the kunoichi looked around. It looked like any other hot spring! Or it would've looked like every other hot spring if it wasn't for the fact that it dropped in a water fall… off the side of a freakishly high mountain.

When she lowered herself in the water, she let out a soft 'oh' and sighed in pleasure.

"It feels warmer than usual, no?"

Nodding gratefully, she went underwater, surprised to see that it was actually very clear. She was about to go back to the surface when something flashed, catching her eye. Swimming towards it, she found a necklace. Fearing that Kushina become suspicious, she grabbed it and went back up for air.

"This is total heaven!" she said, stretching.

"I know right?"

Kushina didn't look the least bit suspicious. She smiled and moved behind Sakura. "Let me wash your hair for you."

Before she could protest, the red head's skilled fingers wove themselves through the wet mass of pink hair, massaging the scalp.

"There. I always wanted Naru-chan to have a little sister, will you be that unborn daughter for me?"

"M-may…"

The peace inside her was making her drowsy. She barely managed half a reply before falling in a warm daze. When was the last time her mother had washed or brushed her hair so lovingly? She couldn't remember.

Leaning against Kushina, she closed her eyes, keeping her sadness inside. If Kushina wanted a daughter, she'd be happy to comply.

**-Unknown Location-**

Naruto opened his eyes to an unknown room. Sitting up quickly, he sifted through his memories. Frowning, he glared at his stomach.

"You deranged senile fox! What the hell did you do?!"

_**I?! **_A wavery red chakra form materialized before him. _**You mean we!**_

Grumbling under his breath, the blond rolled his eyes.

_**Oh come on, kit, you and I were both conscious of what we were doing.**_

_I deny every claim you make._

_**Admit I'm right!**_

The Kyuubi barked with laughter. His kit was so amusing. Restructuring his memories, the vessel admitted to himself that he _had_ been aware of what they were doing. The only weird thing was that he didn't feel like himself. More like a mix with the demon's chakra. Mature beyond his years, but not unduly so, calm and… powerful. It was such a dangerous power but he could wield it with ease.

_Kyuubi…? _He asked, hesitant.

_**Kit.**_

_What would happen… if we merged? Completely?_

…

The fox was stunned silent.

_**We… we would most likely die. I hold too much chakra for your body.**_

"Oh…"

He didn't know if he should feel relieved or threatened. Just how much chakra did Kyuubi possess? How much power did he really contain within that stupid seal? Sighing, he closed his eyes, traveling to his inner-sanctum. Kyuubi was back in his cage, observing him behind golden bars.

"You're sure it'll kill me?" he asked, hand on the seal.

Kyuubi gave a sort of shrug, looking away.

"Giving up and not telling won't give me anything."

More silence met his words. Exhaling a long breath, he stepped through the bars and sat in Kyuubi's warmth. It wasn't until he felt the warm fur caressing his skin that he realized he wasn't dressed. It didn't occur to him to feel uncomfortable or shy. He simply burrowed deeper in the warmth, breathing the fox's familiar scent in.

"You are the only thing I truly have…" he whispered, "Please don't leave me."

_**Stop fearing the worst, kit.**_

He licked the boy's cheek and tensed.

_**Someone's coming.**_

Automatically, Naruto opened his eyes with a start. Indeed, steps were echoing in the hall, slowly approaching his—he looked around—room.

The door opened softly, and the blond gasped.

"You!"

Uchiha Itachi smirked. "Me."

--

**A/N:** More cliffies FTW!!! NYAHAAA! But if it brings reviews then… who cares! Except you readers of course. This new chapter came way faster then expected, I'm glad! ^^ Next one might not come as quickly, but there's still hope!

**Read, you dun have to review… unless you want to.**


	5. And that makes sense because?

5. Ch.4 And that makes sense because…?

**P**airings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, SasuSaku and slight ItaNaru

**A/N:** HORRAY! Another chappie is up! It wasn't so long to wait, right? Okay, fine, maybe a little, but still. Major and huge thank you to all my reviewers, you make me a very happy person despite the fact that I'm probably failing 9th grade. =.=

**W**arning: If you're this far, you already know what to expect.

**D**isclaimer: You know the rules, and you also know I currently have no copyright over Naruto and cast. Except the demon brothers Kuremi, Oturan and Ari. They're mine.

Well then, CHAPTER FOUR EVERYBODY!

**-And that makes sense because…?-**

Sakura woke up in an unknown bed, dressed in a silk kimono. The necklace was still tight in her hands and before she took notice of anything around her, she brought it closer to her face and studied it closely. She suddenly gasped in recognition; Naruto's necklace! Sitting up, she felt clothe and sheet slide on her skin like cool water. Looking down to what she was wearing, she let out a 'yip' of surprise. That thing was seriously short!

Blushing furiously, she pulled the sheets back up around her. "What the hell?"

**-Back to what's left of Team 7-**

Sasuke was brooding and, once again, glaring at the wall before him. Where the hell were his teammates?!

"Now, now, Sasuke," Kakashi said, looking up from his book, "stop brooding."

Hissing in disgust, the Uchiha heir sat on the floor. Just then, the door opened, letting in the brothers Kuremi, Oturan and Ari.

"What do you want now?!" Sasuke asked.

Ari smirked and Sasuke could've sworn he saw his tongue slither out. "Lord NaKyuu has asked that you both be disposed of."

Gritting his teeth, the raven rushed on Ari while the two other brothers went to Kakashi. Thanks to their sharingans, Sasuke and Kakashi had a sort of unfair advantage that, obviously, made them win. The demons were completely K.O. and out of order. Looking around, the raven opened the door and left, not caring about his mentor.

Walking about he found the place pretty fancy. Soft carpets were on the stone floor and tapestries covered the walls. There were also plenty of doors but he had other things in mind. Maybe he'd take a look later. Turning around a corner, he stopped, a snarl uncovering his teeth and his sharingan out.

"Naruto!" he growled angrily.

The blond stood silent. Behind him, Itachi put a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"Foolish little brother."

Sasuke turned his glare to his brother, twice as malevolent. "What did you do to Naruto you bastard?!"

He rushed to them but he never actually did reach them because Naruto suddenly let Kyuubi out, slapping him away with it.

"Don't touch what is mine." he growled, eyes red.

"Now, now Sunshine..." Itachi smirked, pulling his face towards him. "Don't break your toy."

Whining, Naruto nuzzled his neck and Sasuke dazedly thought that if he had ears and a tail, the ears would flatten on his skull and his tail would curl around his leg with pleasure.

"Naruto!"

Everyone turned to Sakura at once. Itachi scoffed and with a parting smirk to his little brother, disappeared with Naruto, but not before Sasuke saw his eyes widen in surprise and confusion.

"Sasuke?"

The raven whirled around and looked at Sakura who had crouched down next to him. She looked him over: he had a bloody lip, mild burns and a bruise was forming on his cheek.

"Come on," she said, pulling him up effortlessly.

He started to struggle but the look she sent him made him value his well-being. In five minutes, they were in Sakura's room and she was dabbing at the blood on his face, muttering curses against Itachi and Naruto.

Tired of her anger, he caught her wrist. "Stop cursing Naruto. He isn't himself."

She smirked loosely. "Wow, never thought I'd hear you protect Naruto."

He scowled and she smiled, patching up a burn. Taking another wad of wet paper, she gently dabbed his lip. They stared at each other and without thinking, Sakura put the paper away and leaned in, pressing her lips onto his. Sasuke's eyes widened and he was stunned a moment before hesitantly kissing back and pulling her to his lap.

**-With Kushina-**

"Kushina?"

The red head started and bowed. "Master?"

"You will… get rid of the girl, yes?"

"B-but she is not a danger! She—!"

An angry hiss cut her off. "Silence!"

She whimpered quietly. She wanted to step back or leave altogether but she couldn't move. Silence reigned a moment before an impatient sigh was heard.

"Why are you so… human still? I don't understand…"

**-With Sunshine and Weasel-**

Naruto was curled up on Itachi's chest, fingering a lock of his loose hair.

"What's wrong Sunshine?"

Without saying a word, the blond buried his face in the crook of his neck. A curious smile twitched the corner of Itachi's lips. He sat up, holding Naruto to his chest.

"Explain it to me."

Tightening his hold briefly, the vessel looked up with childish innocence. "Why did he want to hurt you? And why did she have my necklace?"

A tan hand reached up, groping for the missing object.

"I don't know why she has your necklace but you remember what I showed you? That is why he wants to hurt me."

"Oh…" he looked down, hiding his disappointment.

He was pretty and he was his toy. Why did he have to be mean to Ita-chan? That meant he had to dislike him. But… he didn't even get a chance to play with him yet! Besides, didn't he know him from somewhere other than Itachi's memories? Why had he had the envy to curl up against the youngest Uchiha?

"Well why do I like him then?" he asked himself. "It makes no sense."

"It makes absolutely no sense." Itachi muttered back, lost in thoughts.

Was Naruto's attraction to his little brother that strong? Something was to be made of that. And soon. Dipping the blond head back, he nipped at the vulnerable expanse of tan skin, earning mewls and breathless, cut words. It was odd, the effect that child had on him. He wanted to ravish him, destroy that damnable innocence, rip him apart to take what should be his but he also wanted to cherish that same purity, watch it grow and have his way willingly. He wanted him both ways; harsh, defying and unbending and soft, caring and completely yielding.

"I want you both ways, Naru-chan, my Sunshine. I want you but I want to destroy you all the same… that makes sense because…?"

"Because I am two," Kyuubi's voice growled under Naruto's. "Because I am what you've always wanted and what you almost got… but failed to keep."

He pushed the Uchiha away to get a better look and smirked in a sexy way. Leaning in to a hair's breadth of his face, he licked the contours of the pale lips.

"Do you want me again?"

"Yes."

"Will you keep me this time?"

A chuckle. "It's worth a try."

"Well then," their lips touched.

He tasted different… like an evolved, intoxicating drug. He couldn't get enough and instantly scavenged for more with breathless whimpers.

"Ita… _Ita_…"

Strong hands stripped the shirt off the small body, caressing the taunt skin with an almost gentle attention. It wasn't so much gentle as it was harsh. Welts formed wherever fingers passed to fade away almost magically. He trailed his tongue along his jaw and nipped an ear.

"How does pain bring you such pleasure?" Itachi asked, breathless and flushed.

"Ask that question to yourself…" Naruto moaned, arching under the skilled hands.

He didn't ask that question to himself, he didn't care. All he wanted was to hear more of those sinful, pleasured little noises. The cute, raptured blond suddenly pulled away. Itachi expected a coy smirk and a taunt and was surprised to see the troubled look of confusion on his face.

He reached to caress the tan skin but Naruto pulled away, eyeing the pale hand almost fearfully. Why was he so afraid to be touched all of a sudden?

"Sunshine."

He curled up on himself, knees drawn up to his chest, back to the wall and stared emptily out in the distance. He suddenly repulsed any touch other than his own.

_**Kit?**_

"Why?" he whispered, hugging his knees. "Why?"

_**Kit what's wrong?**_

This. _It feels wrong. So wrong._

_**What do you mean?**_

_I don't know. Everything felt wonderful but then…_

He shuddered, hiding his face. He felt ridiculously close to tears all of a sudden. Itachi observed him silently, parted between amusement, irritation and worry. Lightly brushing the golden blond hair forward, he left, softly closing the door behind him.

A weak sob burst past tan lips. Fat, hot tears rolled down crystal blue eyes clouded by fear and incomprehension. A name imprinted itself in his mind and it stumbled out as he tried to fall to oblivion.

"Sasuke…"


	6. Complications

6. Ch.5 Complications

**P**airings: SasuNaru, KakaIru, SasuSaku and slight ItaNaru

**A/N**: Ooooh yeah! More chapters for you guys! My imagination seems to have reborn! It used to be dead and I couldn't write crap (although it's still currently trying to pull itself of its tomb o.o;;) But hey, I'm still providing good stuff right? If you're unhappy about something, tell me. I probably won't care since it's my story but I might change some stuff if you have a point.

**W**arnings: Do I still need one?

**D**isclaimer: I only have claim on the brothers. Nothing else. Wait… the story line is mine!

… no.

**-Complications-**

Sasuke woke up propped on a warm cushiony thing. Keeping his eyes closed, he took inventory of what he felt. He was sitting on something like a bed, back against the wall while something big and warm rested on his lap. Sakura, probably. His arm was loosely draped around her hips and he figured that what his head rested on were her breasts. A gentle hand caressed his hair and she hummed quietly, soothing his senses.

"You're awake."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. She didn't stop her ministrations though. He opened mildly alert onyx eyes and couldn't help the blush that flooded his face. For one, he was resting on his female teammate's boobs and for two; said part of her anatomy wasn't really covered given their position.

Trying to be subtle, he swiftly raised a hand and tried pulling the soft satiny thing closer. His fingers unconsciously skimmed the bare skin and she let a soft gasp pass her lips.

"Sorry", he whispered. "I was trying to—"

She silenced him with a hand and pushed herself off of him, holding the silk kimono closed with the other. Blushing, she grabbed a few clothes and went to the bathroom to change. As soon as the door closed behind her, she dropped her clothes to dance in happiness. Sasuke had slept on her! Sasuke hadn't been mean to her even once! He had pulled her to his lap and they'd kissed! Oh My God! Inner-Sakura was yelling 'Cha!' and 'Yatta!' jumping around like mad and she was trying really hard not to squeal. Maybe there as a hope for them after all.

**-News for Tsunade-**

In Konoha, where everything looked great when the Hokage freaked out, Pakkun arrived. The tower was empty, except for a disgruntled Shizune and he now had to search for the powerful blonde. He finally trailed her scent to a pub near the outskirts and walked in, spotting her easily.

"Hokage-sama?"

Without looking, she indicated that he jump on the table. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

She looked calm but the air around her crinkled with nervous anticipation.

"It's Naruto."

She let out a breath, amusement and fear dancing in the hazel orbs. "What did the gaki do this time?"

"He… merged with the Kyuubi and seems to have run off with… Kushina."

"K-Kushina?"

The startled reply made the few customers turn to them curiously. Tsunade's glare made them mind their own business once more.

"What do you mean 'Kushina'?" she whispered.

"I mean that Naruto's mother is still alive."

Sitting back, deep in thoughts, the buxom blonde muttered: "But that's impossible." Looking back to the dog-nin, she asked: "Where are they now?"

"Last time I saw them, they were in Snow but I can't feel their chakra anymore."

Nodding, Tsunade took a swig from the half-empty jug saké next to her. If she was going to deal with weird ass matters like that, she might as well be drunk doing it. To hell with being sober! Not that she could really get drunk given the amount of alcohol she ingested daily, but the warm, almost burning liquid was her only comfort since Jiraiya's death.

After another long swallow, she looked at Pakkun warily. "Fine, thank you Pakkun."

"Only doing my job."

He left, leaving the lonely blonde to struggle with her shadows. With a sigh, she chugged down what was left in the bottle and made her way outside, back to the Hokage Tower.

**-Iruka-chan enters the party-**

Iruka was done with the dishes and now looked around the empty kitchen sadly. He missed Kakashi so dearly… even though the jounin was an incurable pervert. He blushed and smiled gently, recalling the first time Kakashi had invited him over. Now they practically lived together.

Sighing, he sat down and gazed at the moon. "Damn it, I hope you're alright you pervy scarecrow."

**-Back to Kushina-**

The beautiful red-head sat on her bed, green eyes staring emptily at the floor. Her memory of her encounter with the Master wasn't so clear in her mind. As soon as she'd left him, she could barely remember anything apart from his terrifying gold eyes. Her door opened to let in her beloved son.

"Shi-shi…" he started, violet eyes brimming with tears. "Shi-shi, I —" he abruptly stopped and closed his eyes, re-opening them in their blue hue. "Mother…"

Kushina didn't see her 16 years old son anymore, she saw the child she was forced to abandon so many years ago.

"Oh, Naru-chan!" she ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his shaking frame. "I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry."

They stood like that, sobbing in each other's arms. They resented the years apart, yearned to get them back. They needed to build something between them… a bond. Face buried in the crook of her neck, Naruto inhaled the soothing perfume of peach blossoms. He'd remember that scent. Kushina sighed quietly behind her sobs, thinking of the crying blond's father. They looked so much alike, it was outstanding that nobody noticed. Minato Namikaze, Yellow Flash of Konoha. Konoha? Didn't that name ring a bell? Hadn't the Master mentioned it once? Or even twice for that matter?

Mother and son parted, regarding each other with fear and curiosity. None was sure what was okay to ask, what wasn't, how to react or anything. Both grinning in the same sheepish fashion, they closed the door and made themselves comfortable.

"Um…" they stuttered before laughing and saying "Oh! You go ahead!"

"How?"

There was no proper way to explain 'how'. Suddenly sad, Kushina grabbed Naruto's hand and stared at it, studying the callused palm.

"I… don't know."

"Then why?"

A grieving frown creased her forehead as she hung her head, waves of fiery hair blocking her face. "I had to."

"Tell me?"

Sighing, she pushed her sleeve up to reveal the dark rose shaped scar. "I… wasn't part of this world anymore. I died after… abandoning you. When I woke up again, I had this scar and a man with hypnotic, reeling red eyes…" Kushina's green eyes misted over, lost in the memory, "told me it was my link to the Master. The Master… how I despise that man! And though I hate it, he scares me." She gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Those disgusting eyes… I can't begin to imagine the sick twisted things going on in his mind."

Compiling those infos together, Naruto frowned. "Does the… Master have an unusually longue tongue and very creepy gold eyes?"

"Yes, but how—?"

The blue eyes hardened in a glare. "Orochimaru."

Now she remembered what the Master had said about Konoha! He wanted to destroy it. But he couldn't, she realised with a start. Konoha was her home, where she'd always been happy! A brief flash of pain registered in her brain.

"Wha—?"

The pain was suddenly everywhere. It was like an ever consuming fire that just wouldn't stop burning. Gasping in shock, she held her wrist, hiding the scar.

"Mommy?"

No! She couldn't make those blue eyes cry again! Attempting a smile, she winced as more pain coursed her body. What in all heavens was happening?

_Are you trying to betray the master, Kushina?_

She recognized that voice. Grabbing her head with both hands, she squeezed her eyes shut. A low growl rumbled in Naruto's chest. Who dared to harm his mother?

"No…." It was both an answer to that poisonous whisper and a warning to NaKyuu.

"But—!"

The door burst open and there stood Ari, Kuremi, Oturan and Itachi. Ari and Kuremi both harboured the same malevolent smirk, Itachi looked just about as bored as usual and Oturan's eyes gleamed with sickening lust. Mother and son stared at the intruders, shock written on their faces.

"Do you intend to betray me, Kushina?" Ari strode forward purposefully, his hair lengthening and blackening, his eyes yellowing. "Is it because of that pesky son of yours?"

Orochimaru's eyes seemed amused when they settled on the growling blond. Kushina eyed him fearfully a few seconds before dropping to her knees, bowing.

"I am sorry…" she muttered.

"No!" Naruto ran to Itachi's side, pleading. "Ita, please! Do something! I can't do anything!"

Sparing him nothing more than a glance, the impassive man whispered: "Use what I gave you."

"I don't get it! What did you—?" the once blue eyes suddenly burned crimson with rage. Kyuubi's chakra seeped out of his skin, creating a coat of bubbling fire red chakra.

He paid no mind to the pain of peeling skin and glared at the snake-nin who looked very amused by the whole thing.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, let me feel your power." He murmured ominously. "Let your anger spill over. I want you to lose all reason."

A clawed hand of chakra, surged forward, gripping the sickly pale man.

"Careful, Naruto-kun…" Kuremi said with a smirk. "We don't want something bad happening to your mother, do we?"

He went to Kushina's side and locked her arms behind her, turning back into…

"Kabuto!" With a frustrated growl, the paw retreated. "Let her go!"

"Tell your little Kyuubi to leave and we can discuss this…"

NaKyuu glared. With a bone chilling chuckle, Kabuto pulled. Kushina's eyes widened and a strangled moan of pain crossed her lips. Snarling, NaKyuu swiped his tail, slapping Oturan away and mildly burning Itachi. Frowning, Orochimaru jumped away. NaKyuu was proving to be more violent than expected. Maybe they _would_ be needing Oturan's abilities.

"Oturan." He called, eyes trained on NaKyuu's trashing tail. "Use it."


End file.
